Improvement in hat-pouncing machines



R. EICKEMEYER.

HAT PoUNcING-MACHINE.

No.18Z,908.

ftFed Oct. 3, 1876.

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Raiz-air MPETERS, PHOTC-LITHOGRAPHE UNITED STATES PATENT FFIOE.

RUDOLF EICKEMEYER, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAT-POUNCING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 182.908, dated October3, 1876; application filed September 2, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RUDOLF EICKE'MEYER, ofYonkers, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Hat-Pouncing Machines;and I do hereby declare that the following specification, taken inconnection with the drawings furnished and forming a part thereof, is aclear, true, and complete description of the several features of my saidinvention.

It is to be distinctly understood that the machine herein described asembodying my present invention involves no novel modeV of operation, sofar as relates to pouncing hats, as its general operative featuresconstitute, in part, the subject of several Letters Patent heretoforegranted.

This machine pounces the brims of hats by means of reciprocating platesclad with brushes, sand-paper, or other suitable pouncing devices, whjchoperate while the hat is rotated by means of conical rollers, after themanner substantially described in the Letters Patent of John Bosencranz,September 28, 1869.

One portion of my invention consists in the combination, with vibratingpouncing-plates, of laterally-adjustable feed-rolls and a treadle,whereby the rolls and plates may be readily separated for the insertionand removal of a hat without stopping the machine; and, further, myinvention consists in the combination, with the pouncing-plates,rollers, and treadle, of an adjustable connecting-rod, connecting withthe treadle and upper pouncinging-plate, so as to permit the properadjustment of the vibrating plates with relation to the feed-rolls.

Certain other features of my invention will be hereinafter fully setforth.

In developing the brims of hats, itis frequently the case that the brimat the outer edge is made thinner than at the junction of the brim withthe side crown. As heretofore constructed, the pouncing plates have notbeen capable of adjustment so as to evenly pounce the brim when its-outer portion was thinner than the inner portion, and one object lof mypresent invention is to obviate this difculty, which I accomplish bymounting the lower pouncingplate on a hinged joint,

and providing it with an adjusting-screw, whereby the outer end of theplate may be raised or lowered, and set in any desired position.

In pouncing hats of various sizes and diHerent widths of brim, it is ofgreat practical value that the conical feeding-rolls be capable ofadjustment in their position with relation to the pouncing-plates, and Iprovide for this capacity by mounting the lower roll on a bracket orarm, which is pivoted mainly on a shaft from which power is derived foroperating the rolls, and in pivoting the uppereroll bracket tothelower-roll bracket, so that both may be swung to and fro withoutchanging the relations of the rolls to each other or to the operativegearing.

To more particularly describe my invention, I will refer to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure l represents my improved machinein perspective. Fig. 2 represents, in side view, the pouncing-plates, aportion of the crank, and a portion of the frame of the machine. Fig. 3represents, in top view, one of the pcuncing-plates and its lever,detached, and also exhibits the sliding box in section. Fig. 4represents, partly in side view and partly in section, the conicalfeeding-rollers and their operative mechanism.

The frame A of the machine is designed with special reference tostrength and solidity. The end plate a projects to the front of themachine beyond the side plates b, which are bolted thereto, and also toa cross-bar, c, at t-he opposite end. The main shaft B is provided witha driving-pulley, and is belted to the vertical crankshaft C, which isin turn belted to the vertical shaft D. Y

E and E denote, respectively, the upper and lower pouncing-plate levers.F and F denote, respectively, the upper and lower pouncing-plates, whichare mounted upon the outer end of the levers. Both levers are pivoted ona vertical rod or shaft, d, which is supported by the end plate a. Tosecure at all times a perfect contact with the rod d, each lever isprovided with a bushing, e, and set-screw e', as shown in Fig. 3. Eachlever has at its rear end two arms, the inner surfaces of which areparallel with' each other,

for the reception of the sliding box f, which encircles the crank-shaftC. Each box is provided at one side with a sliding block,g, slightlywedge-shaped, and controlled by the screw It, which is tapped into athreaded hole in the end of the sliding block. The two halves of the boxare slightly separated, so that when wear occurs between them and thecrankshaft, and also between them and one arm of the. lever, the slidingblock may be advanced, and thus maintain proper contact and obviate alllost motion. Each sliding block is recessed at the side for receivingthel adjacent arm of the lever, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig.3. When the crank-shaft C is rotated the pouncing-plate levers are vibrated to and fro in opposite directions, and the pouncingplates at theouter ends of said levers, when thus vibrated and in contact with ahat-brim, perform the pouncing operation. Both pouncing-plates areprovided with clamping-bars near each edge of their rear sides, so thatsand or emery paper maybe placed on the front surfaces, folded backwardand secured by the clamping-bars, which are hinged at one end to theplate, and conliued at the opposite end by a screw or button, as at t'.The lower pouncing-plate F is hinged at its rear end to its lever. Thelatter has a convex seat, to which a concave portion of the plate islitted, and the connection between the two is effected by bolts k, whichproject downward from the plate through a slot in the convex seat. Thebolts are provided with a convex block and an elastic or spring washer,asis clearly shown in Fig. 2, whereby' a close hinge contact may bealways maintained. From the front end of the lower plate is adownwardly-projecting thumb-screw, l, which has a bearing against theunder side of the outer end of the plate-lever, and between said leverand the plate surrounding the thumb-screw is an elastic washer orspring, m.

With this construction, which embodies one feature of my invention, itwill be seen that the outer end of the plate is supported by the springm, and that by turning the screw said outer end may be inclined fromfront to rear for operating on brims, which are thinner at the edge thanat the side crown. The lower plate-lever E is only capable of avibratory movement, and is always maintained in the same horizontalplane. The upper lever, however, .while capable of the same vibratorymovement, can also be raised bodily, so that the pouncing-plates may beseparated sufficiently to introduce a hat-brim while continuing thevibratory movement. This lifting of the upper lever is accomplished bymeans of the sliding collar n, which is mounted o1 the vertical rod d,and loosely interposed between the two levers. The collar n is connectedwith the treadle G by the lifting-rod o, so that when the treadle isdepressed the upper pouncingplate is lifted. The treadle and upperpouncing-plate are rendered adjustable with relation t0 each other bymeans of a thread cut on the lifting-rod o, and two nuts clearly shown,which enables the collar n to be set at the requisite pointlongitudinally on the rod to secure the desired lift of the plate whenthe treadle is depressed. The importance of this feature will be readilyseen when it is remembered that if the pouncing-surfaces were rubbedtogether they would be soon rendered smooth and inoperative.

l will next describe the feeding-rollers, whereby the hat is rotated forsuccessively presenting all parts of the brim to the pouncing-plates.

The conical rollers H and H have their shafts or axes, as heretofore,set angularly with relation to each other. The shaft of the lower rollerH is supported in boxes in an arm or hanger, p, which is pivoted to thevertical shaft D, and also to a vertical stud at q, which is truly inline with the shaft D. A small bevel-pinion on shaft D meshes with thelarger bevel-gear on the shaft of roller H; and, although the hanger maybe moved to and fro, these gears will always maintain proper workingrelations.

The laterallyadjustable feedrollers, their shafting and gearing, mountedin a hanger which is hinged to or in line with their drivingshaft, alsoconstitutes one feature of my invention.

The shaft of the upper roller H is mounted in boxes in a hanger, r,which is hinged to the hanger p at its rear end. The pivot on which theupper hanger is hinged has bearing in bushings which are controlled byset-screws, to compensate for wear. A weight, as at s, is suspended fromthe upper hanger, for securing proper contact of the rollers with thebrim when interposed between them. Power is communicated from the lowertol the upper roll by gears, as shown. The upper hanger is connectedwith the treadle G by the liftingrod t, so that when the treadle isdepressed the upper roll and upper pouncing-plate will be simultaneouslylifted, for the removal or introduction of a hat. In order that whenthus lifted the operative may leave the machine without stopping it, Ihave applied the holding-lever I to the frame of the machine, andarranged its lower end so that it will engage with the top of thetreadle when depressed, and thus keep the upper pouncingplate and upperroller in their most elevated position. i

The combination of the holding-lever with the vibrating plates, therolls, and treadle constitutes one of the minor features of myinvention.

In order to adjust the position of the feedingrollers with relation tothe pouncing-plates, and to maintain them in any desired position, Iemploy the adjusting-bar u, which is secured to the side plate of themachine, and is extended outward to a point near the innern'end of thelower roller. At its outer end this bar is curved, and is slotted tocorrespond with the line in which the hangers travel when moved to andfro. A threaded 'pin or bolt, as at o, projects downward from the hangerthrough the slot in bar u, and is provided with a setting-nut, asclearly shown in Fig. 4, for securing the rolls in position.

As before stated, my improved machine involves no novel mode ofoperation in the art of pouncing hats; but it will be obvious that muchvaluable time is saved by its use when compared with those machineswhich must be stopped whenever a hat is completed. The

' machine, as herein described, has been proven 2. The combination, withvibrating pouncingplates, feed-rollers, and a treadle, of a rodconnected with the treadle, which is adjustable with relation to one ofthe vibrating` plates, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the feed-rollers, the vibratingpouncing-plates, and the treadle, of a holding-lever, substantially asdescribed, whereby the plates and rollers, when separated, may bemaintained in that position, as set forth.

4. In a hat-pouncing machine, laterally-adjustable feed-rollers, theirshafting and gearing, all mounted in a hanger, which is hinged to or inline with the driving-shaft, from which power is derived for operatingthe rollers, substantially as described.

5. A ponncing-plate, hinged to its lever, in combination with anadjusting-screw, substantially as described, whereby said plate may beinclined from front to rear and held in position, as set forth.

RUDOLF EIGKEMEYER.

Witnesses G. OSTERHELD, GEORGE NABR.

